Quincy company's robotic submarine used to search for missing plane

A Bluefin-21 underwater vehicle made by Quincy-based Bluefin Robotics is searching the depths of the southern Indian Ocean as part of an international quest to find the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

A robotic submarine built in Quincy has captured the world’s attention.

A Bluefin-21 underwater vehicle, made by Bluefin Robotics based in the Quincy shipyard, is searching the depths of the southern Indian Ocean west of Australia as part of an international quest to find the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

The U.S. Navy deployed the unmanned sub Monday after search crews detected four signals underwater that are believed to have come from the airliner’s black boxes.

“These sort of searches, one of the key characteristics is persistence and tenacity to work your way through and solve the mystery,” David Kelly, the president and CEO of Bluefin Robotics, said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger last week.

The torpedo-shaped Bluefin-21 has been sent underwater three different times as of Wednesday. Its first mission Monday was cut short when it exceeded its maximum operating depth of 15,000 feet, or about 2.8 miles, and its dive Tuesday ended early due to technical difficulties.

There were no signs of the plane after the first two dives, according to the search coordinator.

In October 2010, Bluefin Robotics moved its headquarters from Cambridge to the former Fore River Shipyard in Quincy. The company operates out of 549 South St., a building owned by local construction magnate Jay Cashman.

According to city tax records, Bluefin has doubled its staff size since moving to Quincy – from 73 to 143 employees. Bluefin is one of nine different companies in Quincy given incremental tax breaks as an incentive to relocate to, or stay in, the city.

The airplane, a Boeing 777, vanished March 8 with 239 people on board while en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. Radar and satellite data show that the plane would have run out of fuel over the southern Indian Ocean west of Australia.

The Bluefin-21, purchased by Navy contractor Phoenix International, is scanning the seabed with sonar to map a potential debris field.

“You’re painting an image with sounds,” Kelly said, later adding: “It’s pretty easy to discern man-made objects from non-man-made objects like rocks and ripples in the sand.”

Although an underwater search has started, there is still a comprehensive search ongoing above the ocean’s surface. As of Wednesday, up to 14 planes and 11 ships were searching a 24,000-square-mile patch of sea about 2,200 kilometers northwest of Perth, Australia.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this article.

Reach Patrick Ronan at pronan@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.